QUESTION: Unemployment benefits & focus groups

question / pregunta: 

I'm currently receiving unemployment benefits and will be participating in a one-day paid focus group. The group states that I will receive an "honorarium" for my participation: does this count as income or work?

Answers

Rad Ref isn't a legal assistance service, unfortunately. A search on LawHelp.org found a National Employment Law Project document called "Getting Unemployment Benefits and Keeping Them" (April 2002) which says in part that:

"You can only receive benefits for days when are unemployed. If you work three or fewer days in a week, you can still get partial benefits. The law does not consider you unemployed on a day when you spend any time doing
• temporary work,
• self-employment or free-lance work (even if you don’t earn anything that day), or
• work or "favors" for a business belonging to a friend or relative."

A collection of documents and referrals (your best bet is to call an organization with expertise in this area) can also be found by browsing to Workers Rights and then Unemployment Benefits on LawHelp.org/NY. Good luck!